On that basis, Kim called on the station to “set a high goal for remarkably increasing the yearly output of fish in a short span of time”.

As recognition for its efforts, he promised to modernise the station.

Boosting food production has been a priority for Kim almost since the day he took office. As well as feeding its citizens, seafood is the country’s biggest export market to China outside of iron ore and coal, bringing precious foreign currency back in.

Fishermen are hired by the army, and therefore wear the brunt of the increased demand.

But according to Kim Do-hoon, a professor of fisheries science at Bukyong National University in Busan, the boats are simply not made for navigating far into the 1000km stretch of sea between North Korea and Japan.